Women

The women’s suffrage movement and the feminist movement in American were early steps toward gender equality and access to the workplace and education. But today women still face violence, discrimination, and institutional barriers in their struggle toward equal participation in society.

Institutional biases limit opportunities for women in the workplace via policies that exclude women from certain job sectors and penalize them for becoming pregnant or raising children. These translate to gross disparities between men’s and women’s income, wealth, and economic security.

Additionally the overwhelming institutional biases against gender-based violence survivors are a constant reminder that living safely and with dignity is not always an option for women.

Moves by the GOP in recent years, to limit abortion rights and reproductive healthcare of all forms, threaten to take women’s sovereignty over their own bodies out of their hands.

This page, and it’s subpages, will track the actions and statements of Trump relative to women.

In a previously unreported comment to the now-defunct Maximum Golf magazine, Donald Trump singled out a “young socialite” at his club at Mar-a-Lago by telling a reporter, “there is nothing in the world like first-rate pussy.”thedailybeast.com(See also Misogyny, Unpresidential Behavior)

Donald Trump's lawyers argued Tuesday that he's too busy to participate in a defamation lawsuit filed against him in New York state court — but the lawyer for the woman suing him confirmed that she could interview him around his golf outings while he's at Mar-a-Lago.buzzfeed.com(See also Misogyny, Legal Issues)

2017.12.10

As of December 7 there were 369 women running or planning to run for Congress in 2018, which would be the most women House candidates ever.axios.com(See also Misogyny, Trump Effect)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and two of his Democratic colleagues have suggested that Donald Trump should consider resigning, after a run of sexual-harassment scandals has driven out some members of Congress.washingtonpost.com(See also Misogyny)

2017.12.11

More than 50 female Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives called on Monday for a congressional investigation into allegations by various women of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump.reuters.com(See also Misogyny, Unpresidential Behavior)

2017.12.11

Three of 16 women who have publicly accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct spoke out together during a joint press conference hosted in New York City, calling for action from Congress amid the growing #MeToo movement.axios.com(See also Misogyny)

2017.12.12

After Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called on Trump to resign over sexual harassment allegations, Trump attacked her in an early-morning Twitter missive filled with inappropriate sexual innuendo.washingtonpost.com(See also Misogyny, Unpresidential Behavior)

A federal court issued a preliminary injunction on Friday blocking a Trump administration rule on insurance coverage of contraceptives for women, saying the rule contradicts the text of the Affordable Care Act by allowing employers to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage if they have religious or moral objections.nytimes.com(See also Affordable Care Act, Health Care, Legal Issues)

2018.01.08

The White House is considering finding a role for Andrew Puzder, Donald Trump’s first pick for labor secretary, who withdrew his nomination in February after old allegations of domestic abuse resurfaced.politico.com(See also Reversals, Trump Cabinet)

2018.01.12

A lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a $130,000 payment to a former adult-film star a month before the 2016 election as part of an agreement that precluded her from publicly discussing an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump.wsj.com(See also Unpresidential Behavior)

2018.01.12

After a career intelligence analyst who is an expert in hostage policy revealed that her parents are Korean, Donald Trump turned to an adviser in the room and seemed to suggest her ethnicity should determine her career path, asking why the "pretty Korean lady" isn't negotiating with North Korea on his administration's behalf.nbcnews.com(See also Racism, Unpresidential Behavior)

The Trump administration announced it is rescinding guidance from the Obama administration that made it harder for states to defund Planned Parenthood.thehill.com(See also Reversals, Health Care)

2018.01.19

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it was allowing doctors, nurses and other health care workers to refuse to provide services for people that they object to based on religious beliefs, including abortion, providing contraception, and transgender health concerns.nytimes.com(See also LGBTQIA, Homophobia)

Victims’ rights and women’s rights groups sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, saying that rules that she issued last year to guide campuses on how to manage sexual assault complaints violated federal law and discriminated against accusers.nytimes.com(See also Department of Education, Betsy DeVos, Legal Activity)

Michael D. Cohen, Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, said on Tuesday that he used his own funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to a pornographic-film actress who had once claimed to have had an affair with Mr. Trump.nytimes.com(See also Legal Issues, Unpresidential Behavior)

2018.02.19

Donald Trump on Tuesday again denied Rachel Crooks' accusation that he forcibly kissed her when she worked at Trump Tower in 2006.washingtonpost.com(See also Misogyny)

2018.02.21

State Department officials have been ordered to pare back passages in a soon-to-be-released annual report on global human rights that traditionally discuss women’s reproductive rights and discrimination, stripping passages that describe views on family planning, contraceptives, abortion, as well as racial, ethnic, and sexual discrimination.politico.com(See also Rex Tillerson, Department of State)

The move reflects the Tillerson-Trump view of human rights as a low priority in foreign policy.